1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to bicycle shock absorbing devices and, more particularly, is concerned with a shock absorbing post assembly for both crutch and bicycle seat applications.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various designs of shock absorbing devices have been proposed over the years for the purpose of reducing transmission of shock impacts and vibrations to a cyclist and thereby increasing riding comfort and performance in all modes of cycling. Existing bicycle seat posts offer a convenient and accessible location on a bicycle for installation of such devices. The rising popularity of mountain biking, involving riding over rough terrain which causes jolts to the spine of the cyclist, has heightened interest in continued development and refinement of shock absorbing bicycle seat post devices.
One design approach of prior art shock absorbing bicycle seat post devices has been to provide an outer tube, an inner tube telescopingly received in the outer tube and extending from an upper end thereof, a race or races formed in one or both of the outer and inner tubes along portions of the lengths thereof, ball bearings disposed in the races or races, and a compressible body disposed within the outer tube between lower ends of the outer and inner tubes. Representative examples of such prior art devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 575,152 to Fogg, U.S. Pat. Nos. 600,365 and 636,726 to Hindmarsh, U.S. Pat. No. 601,978 to Nevill, U.S. Pat. No. 664,184 to Stoll, U.S. Pat. No. 686,156 to Snyder, U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,648 to Knapp, Italian Pat. No. 421,323 to Ponzecchi, and French Pat. No. 885,282 to Vaglio. While most of these prior art seat post devices may function satisfactorily under the specific conditions for which they were designed, many of these prior art devices introduce drawbacks in that they are complicated and costly to manufacture and difficult to assemble and unduly increase the overall weight of the bicycle seat post.
Consequently, a need still exists for a shock absorbing post assembly which will overcome these drawbacks without introducing any new drawbacks in their place.